12 design tips from successful women illustrators

It’s women’s history month — a great time to celebrate female achievement in graphic design. The ladies of the contemporary illustration world have a lot of experience these days, and are ready to share it.

Here’s a collection of quotes we’ve found particularly useful, on everything from developing technique and finding inspiration to managing work/life balance – from some of our favorite ladies designing today.

“There’s this quote that goes, ‘If you’re not doing something embarrassing, you’re not doing anything worthwhile.’ I had to remind myself of this recently, working through some stuff and it’s really valuable. It actually does make sense, you have to put yourself out there and be prepared to feel vulnerable. Exposure is part of our immune system, it’s necessary, it’s how we grow, how we get stronger.”

“As a designer, you need to figure out a process that lets you work through the good ideas and bad ideas in a rough exploratory way. I love doing verbal ideation before visual ideation—making word association lists and letting my mind wander. The more I do this in the early stages of a project the easier it is for me to come up with something unique.”

“The majority of my work is also just becoming a meditative process, and is more about that for me, the meditation that I achieve while working. Of course, I’m creating with common themes in mind, but usually I’m just working to work. I highly recommend letting your practice fully consume you, then going out for drinks after.”

My personal advice for young artists/designers is to start building a collection of resources and inspiration that is not from the internet. Step away from the computer. Go to the library, bookstore, vintage shop or flea market and have a browse. Make a nice afternoon of it. Find something that speaks to you — you’ll know when you find it!”

“Admittedly client work will always take precedent, but if you are canny at managing your time it’s possible to fit it in. I don’t pay for advertising, printed mailers or have an agent, instead I rely on promo projects to sell my skills and win me new clients. That fact alone is a pretty good motivator.”

“Be different. Keep your eyes open. Record everything you see, process it, and then spit it back out in your own very personal way. Get inspired by something that’s not just illustration. Be serious. Be silly. Get drunk sometimes. Dream a lot. Don’t think you can’t do it, because you can.”

“I like to experiment with techniques and explore the possible visuals for every specific book I’m working on. I also have a tendency to play with colors and oppose them to grayscale tones in my everyday work.”

“In order to own a style, its origin must be genuine. Whether drawing is an outlet for something deeper and unexpressed or a reflection of your perception of the world, it has to come from a personal place.

We all get influenced by blogs and other illustrators – visual tricks and techniques – but what we love is not always who we are – sometimes quite the opposite. So don’t overfeed on other people’s work and try to find influences in domains that have nothing to do with illustration.”

“By being influenced by an artist’s technique, you create an entry into making your own pictures. It is a great way of overcoming the fear of the blank sheet of paper, taking you out of your comfort zone and habits.”

“There seems to be an idea that if you have a part-time job, or don’t work full-time as an artist, it somehow makes you less of a real illustrator or real artist. Why is that? Yes, it is difficult to balance a day job and freelance at the same time, but non-illustration work experience is extremely valuable.”

What’s your favorite quote from famous woman illustrator? Share it in the comments!

The author

Kaitlyn is part of the Community Team at 99designs.com. She grew up in Boulder, CO and went to school at Northwestern University in Chicago. When she's not blogging, she spends her time having adventures and being generally creative. She's all about having new experiences as often as possible!